《沉思录·卷十二·此刻即全部》第5条
How can it be that the gods, after having arranged all things well and benevolently for mankind, have overlooked this alone, that some men, and very good men, and men who, as we may say, have had most communion with the divinity, and through pious acts and religious observances have been most intimate with the divinity, when they have once died should never exist again, but should be completely extinguished? But if this is so, be assured that if it ought to have been otherwise, the gods would have done it. For if it were just, it would also be possible; and if it were according to nature, nature would have had it so. But because it is not so, if in fact it is not so, be thou convinced that it ought not to have been so: for thou seest even of thyself that in this inquiry thou art disputing with the Deity; and we should not thus dispute with the gods, unless they were most excellent and most just; but if this is so, they would not have allowed anything in the ordering of the universe to be neglected unjustly and irrationally.
注释摘要
奥勒留在这里提出了一个极为尖锐、直指信仰核心的问题。他并非在抽象地讨论灵魂不朽，而是从一个虔敬者的情感深处出发：那些一生与神性相通、通过虔诚行为与神最为亲密的善人，为何死后似乎就彻底消散、不复存在了？这看起来像是神圣安排中的一处疏忽，一个与神的仁慈和公正相悖的漏洞。他提出了一个看似大胆的质疑，但随即以一种典型的斯多葛式推理将其化解。 他化解的路径不是提供经…